Monday Mumpreneur with Leonie Dawson of the Shining Biz & Life Academy

I'm delighted to introduce Leonie Dawson as our featured Monday Mumpreneur. She's just like you and me and she's ready and willing to share with us her motivation, her challenges and her proudest moments in business.

If you’re looking for inspiration, then our featured business mums show you what’s possible.

Where do you live?

My family and I have been location independent for the last five years because of my business – we’ve lived in the Whitsundays, Cairns, Kuranda, Hobart and have recently moved to Canberra!

Tell us about yourself & your business

I’m Leonie Dawson, a wife and mother of two. I’m the best-selling author of the cult hit Create Your Shining Year in Life + Biz workbook which I write, publish + distribute myself. Over the last six years, we’ve sold almost 100,000 copies in 73 countries, and donated 200,000 to over 2000 charities. I’m also the founder of the Shining Biz + Life Academy which has empowered over 5000 women to set + reach their goals over the last 5 years. I have 65,000 gorgeous souls on my mailing list and my social media platforms reach over 83,000.

What inspired you to start your business?

I wanted to live my soul’s dream – to help people. I have a dang happy life and prosperous business, but there was a time when I couldn’t imagine a sustainable income was possible from sharing my gifts. I learned incredible lessons on my spiritual and business path; now I share those through my academy + workbooks.

What do you love about being a mumpreneur?

I only work a few hours a day! I’ve never worked full-time hours in my business – even as it doubles (or even triples) in size each year. My priority is to spend lots of happy, gentle, creative + adventure time with my husband Chris and our daughters Ostara and Beth.

What has been your greatest challenge & how have you addressed this?

My greatest challenge has been responding to the downside of what being an “internet celebrity” brings — trolls + abuse on social media. I’m grateful to have experienced it so I can better understand what other successful people (+ heck — even just our teenagers today!) go through. Now I’m in the position where I can help heal this part of our culture by bringing it into the light and teaching others how to deal with abuse while holding on to their courage to keep sharing their stories + gifts.

What have been your major achievements in the past 12 months?

We’ve just had our biggest earning week in history of over $200,000! We’ve also expanded our team across Australia + the United States. We’ve also been creating our 2016 goal setting stationery range including workbooks, a diary, wall planner + to do list planner; and The Shining Biz + Life academy has had a revamp with a new membership site and more programs. All this while being very profitable and working part-time hours so I can spend most of my days hanging with my gorgeous family.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about becoming a mumpreneur?

You don’t need to sacrifice your life or your family to be a mumpreneur. You do however need to surround yourself with big believers + achievers and you need to take care of yourself. Childcare support + dedicated work hours are a must to concentrate + give your best. Then start with your ‘why’; your big dream. Your why will help you find the way. Most of all though, know that you can have a wildly abundant business + a balanced family life without being anything but exactly who you are!

Leonie is a highly regarded business teacher in Australia + internationally and has helped hundreds of thousands of women learn how to create thriving businesses + balanced family lives without sacrificing themselves, their sleep or their sanity. She's a devoted philanthropist, supports a range of charities and is in the top 1% of Kiva lenders in the world. She wants to help women use business as a vehicle for change.

As the Dalai Llama said “Western women will change the world.”

Leonie believes "It is us — the mumpreneurs of the world who will heal our families, our communities + the world."

To find out more about Leonie and her work, check out her Shining Biz & Life Academy   and if you're thinking of joining, then now is a great time, as the doors are closing on the 30th September 2016. I’ve been a member for over five years and love the community of generous kindred spirit souls, the overwhelming support and of course, Leonie’s blend of awesomeness.

See if it’s for you and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll share with you what I’ve gained from it and how it’s changed my life and business. And, if you decide to join via my link, I’ll schedule a 1:1 session for us to make sure you set some BIG goals and get all the value possible out of your membership.

I’ll also be your accountability buddie and your wing woman in the community. Whatever support you need ~ I’ll be there.

Now it's your turn:

Tell us in the comments how Leonie's story has inspired you on your own mumpreneur journey.

Think your mumpreneur story will inspire our community?

It doesn't matter if you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, our journeys can help and support others. Pop a comment below or come on over to the contact page and let's talk.

*note: today's post was adapted from Leonie's entry into the AusMumpreneur Awards 2015